Jim and Huck

Huck and Jim, at least according to conventional standards at the time, should have been complete opposites. Jim the strong ignorant black man who was a slave and had a slave family, and Huck the poor white boy who was being given all the opportunities that befitted a young prosperous young man of his time, by the Widow Douglas. However, these two struck a very uncanny bond together and connected in a way that was previously unseen in a white male slave relationship. They carried each other through on their journey and it is safe to say that neither would have succeeded in their goals had not the other one been there. Huck was Jim's face in public, and Jim was Huck's strength and shelter on the raft and their feelings towards one another can be found in every separation scene. When they get separated the first time on the river, Huck frantically searches for Jim even through the dense fog. Jim had multiple chances to run away and be free from the company of this white boy for good, and yet he always stayed and searched for Huck even in places he was not welcome. Jim allowed himself to be ridiculed by the con-men when he had the opportunity to leave at any moment. They had not earned Jim's trust, but Huck had and Jim considered the word of his one true friend the most valuable so he never questioned the other men on Huck's trust. Also this relationship is a deep insight to the way people should have been treated during this time. And the love these two had for each other and the rareness of the amazing morals that Huck possessed culminates when Huck decides to help Jim no matter what the cost to his own soul.

Huck Finn the original Poor American Hero

Huck Finn is perhaps one of the earliest and most descriptive of the abusive child father relationship. Huck has always held a special place in the hearts of readers everywhere. Whether it is those who relate to his troubles, those who know someone like him, those who wish they were as carefree as he claims to be, or those teenage girls who would undoubtedly fall madly in love with him just because he was different and confident. Despite his wild out going side there are three key points in this book in which Huck really illustrates his remarkable maturity and understanding of the way the world should be. The first can be seen when Huck realizes his father has come back and so Huck runs off and sells his money away to the judge for a small price. He knew what his father was after and what his father would do if he were to get the money so he got rid of it in a completely unselfish gesture to insure his father would not waste it on getting drunk. The next can be seen when Huck sits throughout the entire night with a shotgun pointed at his dad while he was sleeping after his father had savagely beaten him the night before. He could have ended the abuse right then and there without any one being upset or even blaming him but he showed restraint that not even most adults could show and he let his abusive drunk father live. The next and perhaps most monumental and true test of Huck's worth can be seen in his willingness and understanding of his relationship with his former slave and current companion Jim. In a world over run with slavery and harsh anti-black sentiment Huck befriends Jim and takes him on as a equal and even mentor in some cases and grows attached to him more that he has ever been to anyone before, even Tom in many ways.

HP the Final Blog

Yes this book is a buildingsroman, or at least the entire series is. This book really focuses on the transformation that Harry goes when he understands what it is like to be out on his own in the real world facing problems that most adults have never faced. He begins the work in his usual self of the defiant and self reliant boy who was determined to do things on his own and convince his friends to let him go alone. However, he soon realizes that he would have had no plan and would never have been able to succeed on his own with out his friends there with him. His transformation in this book is most clearly seen during the shell cottage scene when Harry begins to make his own decisions and take charge of the group. He also has to make the decision to go after the Horcrux's first and not the Hallows. This decision shows Harry's understanding of what was at stake and his understanding of what he needed to get done. He ignores the great "Childlike" desire that he and many others had to pursue the Hallows and he realized what Dumbledore really wanted him to know about the Hallows. That they were for only those who were worthy and that he needed to be able to be responsible with his destiny before he could ever obtain the Hallows and that is what he did. The rest of the series is much more of a Buildingsroman because it carries through much more of the emotional and physical transformation that Harry and the other main characters undergo throughout their entire lives. It goes from their development of magical skills, their understanding of how to interact maturely with others, their understanding of real world problems as well as their understanding of how to deal and understand their true selves.

Neville Longbottom

Neville has been perhaps one of the most dynamic characters in this whole book even if he did not show up till the last few chapters. Neville has been dealing with the desire to avenge his parents as well as dealing with his own inadequateness as a wizard throughout all the other books. Only in this final installment do we now find Neville in the forefront of the fight. He became the critical corner stone for the opposition at Hogwarts and he stayed there still even after he had become an outlaw to the place. Despite all the damage the Carrows had done to him he still took it and did everything he could to fight back both on his own and with the help of the D.A. His fight culminates with his understanding of what he had to do in order to help Harry when he showed up as well as his skills in the actual battle of Hogwarts. Neville learned to play to his skills in Herbology and he used those to help him fight, but the true turning point when we see Neville becoming a true leader is when Harry meets him on the empty battle field helping carry off both the injured and the dead. That takes abilities that Neville had never shown before and helped him develop the courage and loyalty that it must have taken when he stood up against Voldemort and drew the sword from the hat and was able to kill the great snake with it. Neville's transformation had become complete and had fulfilled his life long wish of avenging his parents.

HP the final showdown

As I have read through all the books, and in particular this last one I have come to feel that I fully know Harry. As I watch and live his struggles with him I can’t help but notice how he has grown and developed into the man that he is at the end of the book. Perhaps the best way and most certainly the easiest way, to view his growth, can be seen in his relationship with his closest friends as he tries to cope with his own destiny. He struggles with his own stubbornness throughout the majority of these books, and he seems to have a revelation in the first quarter of this last one, that no matter how badly he would like to go it alone it is ok if he confides in others. His friends have made his journey monumentally more bearable and yet monumentally more frightening at the same time. While he now has the help and companionship that he needs to fulfill his mission he also has to deal with his desire to protect his friends as well as to trust their judgments. The book concludes with him facing his enemy alone one on one, however, it is clear that he never would have made it past the first trial, let alone all the way to his final showdown, with out the help of everyone of his friends. I believe this final book shows the true value of friendship through almost every possible trial.